'Fit pay' policy needed to keep staff healthy and in work

28 February 2017

A report by the IPPR says that SSP, Fit Notes and the Fit for Work service are not enough to help people get back to work.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has said that government must introduce a major shift in incentives with greater obligations on employers to support employees to stay in work, and greater financial liabilities if they fail to do so. The IPPR has also said that the government must ensure that the sickness policy framework, notably SSP, properly reflects the nature of today’s major health conditions.

The IPPR has recommended that the government introduce four major reforms:

Establish new employer duties to engage with employers on statutory sick pay and extend SSP from 28 to 52 weeks.

Introduce Fit Pay (flexible sick pay) to better reflect the nature of modern health conditions and vbetter support employees back into work.

Pilot an expanded Fit for Work occupational health service to support SMEs in particular to support employees to stay in work